Scott Blackmon

My musical taste was shaped primarily by the atmosphere of "the times" of my high school years. I was in a "progressive" clique with 5 other guys; we tried exhaustively to be different from the Billy Ray Cyrus, Kris Kross, and other "pop" song lovers whom we considered to be conformists. In other words, we were young, immature teenagers trying to find our identifies. We were into a few mainstream alternative bands (U2, REM, The Police, The Cure, The Smiths, Smasking Pumpkins) but many more scarcely heard outside the college radio scene, perhaps (The Pixies, Poi Dog Pondering, The Church, They Might Be Giants). Our musical tastes were considred especially odd since we grew up in a small rural North Carolina town. Except for the high school kids listening to pop music, the townsfolk were country music fanatics. Beach music was, because of our proximity to Myrtle Beach, SC (the home of beach music and shagging), a mainstay as well. As for my current likes, I can't really say that I am a big music fan. With time, I have gravitated towards the center, as most do I imagine. I will listen to Top-40 radio stations as I'm driving, something I never really imagined would happen as a teenager. But alternative music has become pop music to a large degree, at least in my opinion. I also enjoying singing along to the songs played on stations claiming that they play "the best of the 80s, 90s, and today." As a Christian, I probably keep my radio tuned to contemporary Christian stations tmost of the time; their message is clear and uplifting, and unlike gospel music of the past, we actually sing these songs in worship services on Sunday now, so most of the songs are familiar. The only genres I particularly dislike are gangsta rap, cheesy R&B, and heavy/speed/death metal.